After it became known that the floods caused by the rise of the Tonosí and La Villa rivers caused the death of more than 1,800 pigs, who drowned in their pigsties, the producer and engineer, Carlos Pitty, in an interview with Radio Panama, said that the losses could amount to more than 250 thousand dollars for these families who lost almost all of their animals.
“What we have been able to investigate is that some 4-5 farms of small producers, that this is their livelihood and have been affected in their entirety, not only the number of animals lost, which amounts to a figure at market price of something more than 250 thousand dollars, without considering the value of the food and the structural damages”, said Pitty
Several authorities from the Ministry of Agricultural Development, the Ministry of Health, among others, are in place to try to help these families who were able to save themselves from the flooding of the rivers, however, they could not get the animals out in time to that they could survive.
“Members of the National Association of United Pork Farmers of Panama were able to talk with President Laurentino Cortizo, as well as with the Minister of the Agricultural Portfolio, Augusto Valderrama, who will be making field evaluations to respond to these families,” Pitty said.
Regarding the alerts that were given due to the bad weather during these days, Pitty reported that everything happened very quickly: “the river flood was really very fast, and even if there was an alert it was very difficult to get these animals out into the open since they are fast. , many were released, but in the end they ended up drowning, those who could be saved, now they have to be seen by veterinarians so that they do not get sick and can reach the market”.
I also emphasize that there will be no impact on the national market and that the real problem is to help these families who are hard-working people and who have their business raising pigs and have lost everything.
